Top 5 favorite heirlooms?

14 years ago

Just curious what everyone's top 5 heirloom tomatoes are? I can't participate, because this is my first year growing heirlooms. I am bagging blossoms, so should have plenty of seeds to share this year, and just wondering what everyone's favorites are so that I can try some varieties other than what I already have.

This year I have 38 varities planted, with another 30 or so types not planted.

I'm addicted to my tomatoes now... and the funny thing is, I dont even eat tomatoes. Although this season is going to make me start eating them, I think, LOL.

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Comments (14)

dstucki85
14 years ago
Probably not all "heirlooms" in the purest sense of the word but I don't worry much about that:

- Neves Azorean Red
- Black Cherry
- Chapman
- Earl's Faux
- KBX
greenmulberry
14 years ago
I have four favorites:

Cherokee Purple
Aunt Ruby's German green
Juliette
Black Cherry

This is my first year growing Opalka, and I am hopeful, they have spindly foliage but are setting lots and lots of fruit! I have black walnuts around my yard so I give extra points to vigorous plants that can pump out maters before they succumb to the BWs.
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Monarda - all if them! This year I winter-sowed 4 species of Monarda, 3 of which I had never heard of before researching seeds to buy. Beautiful and the pollinators and hummingbirds love them. Phlox - again all of them - growing many species and cultivars, but one of my outstanding performers is Phlox paniculata 'Nora Leigh' - beautiful variegated foliage, very vigorous, never gets mildew Agastache 'Blue Fortune' - very pretty spires, and the Bumble bees just go nuts over this plant. The Blue Fortune I bought at a nursery doesn't reseed at all, but a couple other Agastache from a plant swap last year that look like Blue Fortune have reseeded like crazy this Spring. Helianthus 'Lemon Queen' - this is a HUGE plant but what a beauty! Lots of lemon yellow flowers that the bees love. I've got 4 of them and they literally make a hedge they're so large, and they spread rhizomatically into these massive clumps. Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate' - really nice foliage, and I love the haze of little white flowers at the end of the season. I'm growing so many new plants from winter-sowing and some I purchased on sale last November (including Baptisia 'Carolina Moonlight' and 'Prairie Twilight Blues' which are sending out buds), that I may have some new favorites popping up this year! :)
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emmers, your experience with Cylindra was similar to the one time I grew them in the past. I remember that I too, loved how easy they were to prepare, and the plants grew and produced well here. However, that year my Pickled Beets w/Onions had little flavor and were washed out. I didn't like seeing the too-pink beets and onions in the jar. Just didn't look right! But, because of all the positive comments I have read from others that have grown them, I thought maybe they just had a bad year here, or I had prepared them poorly (not very likely my hubby insists), and was willing to give them another chance. After reading your comments, I think I'll just blame their inferiority on my soil, and give Lutz Salad Leaf/Winter Keeper a try this year. With more searching, I found this bit of information from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds: "Lutz Salad Leaf Beet. Quite possibly the best storage beet known. Top-shaped red roots with concentric lighter zones. Pink-stemmed leaves are renowned for use like chard, superb in salads. Roots remain tender and sweet even when grown to quite a large size, having reached 3-4 pounds! Also known as "Winter Keeper." For me, definitely worth a try.
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What is large and what is big and what is really big? The tomatoes mentioned so far grow at the big level but not really big. Why has noone mentioned Big Zac....oh, it is a hybrid. So what about Delicious. It holds the world record at 7 3/4 pounds. A strain of Delicious, the so-called Hunt Strain grew a tomato over 7 pounds a few years ago and a 6.5 pounder 2 years ago. Brutus Magnum produced a 6.25 pound tomato in 2011. MegaMarv popped one at 5.51 pounds that same year and several growers are reporting tomatoes with MegaMarv over 5 pounds this year. Over 4 pounds is large. Over 5 pounds is big, over 6 pounds is really big and over 7 pounds is huge and over 8 pounds will be a new world record. &&&&&& I had to cut and paste the above so I wouldn't forget something. LOL Big Zac F1; Yes, Minnie won many NJ contests with it but over the years when folks grow it, and I do read/post at several message sites, folks seem to get not much over a pound or two with it. Delicious? Yes, Gordan Graham 's biggie , while it still holds the world record at what, something like 7# 12 oz, I didn't confirm that,if not using the the selections made by others from that original fruit, and not everyone has access to those seeds, don't get anything near the record with just regular ole seeds for Delicious, from this or that seed site. Fact is, and you know it from your post, that there are many who are dedicated to growing the biggest baddest fruits they can. And Marv Mesissner, whom I know, helped that along with his book. Those growing for size use special techniques, just as the large pumpkin growers do, megablooms, which I knew and still do as fused blossoms, seem to rule. But I do think that just ordinary home growers are looking for just ordinary varieties, no special techniques used, to get some big ones. And nothing wrong with that as I see it. ( smile) Carolyn
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sue_ct
14 years ago
I can't really answer this question because I have mostly just grown hybrids and what was sold locally as brandywines. But I did do my own silent poll of this forum looking for the "all stars" since I only had room for 6 and wanted a sampling of the best. I may not get to taste any until halloween this year due to the weather, but I can share what the most often cited were and what I planted from my little count of votes. The ones cited most often are listed first:

Cherokee Purple
Black Krim
Brandywine (usually Suddarth but OTV, pink and red also metnioned. Many don't elaborate.)
Mortgage Lifter
Black Prince (didn't find plants for this one)
Kellogs Breakfast
German Giant

I planted one of each except Black Prince and Black Krim since I didn't have room for ALL of them. I hope to be able to do some great comparison taste testing eventually. I will have to place my own votes then. :)

Sue
mattml
14 years ago
- Hillbilly Potato Leaf
- Pineapple
- Persimmon
- Coustralee
- Black Krim
pz1122
14 years ago
sue..... where in ct are u growing out of?
im in fairfield county and the weather is killing me, however, i did finally get some tiny maters on some of my plants this week.
sue_ct
14 years ago
I am north of Hartford in Hartford County. My 6th plant was my "safe" tomato, an Early Girl, and it is the only one with small tomatoes on it yet. That is why I use it as my "safe" one. :) But you are a little further south than I am and should be a little ahead of me usually anyway. Keep your fingers crossed for enough good tomato weather to make up some time.

Sue
containerted
14 years ago
The one I just ate.
The one I'm eating now.
The one I'll eat next.
The one on the table.
The one one the vine that just blushed.

For eating.....

Golden Cherokee
Cherokee Purple
Ponderosa Red
Beefsteak
Black Cherry

There's another list for cooking. And another for canning.

Ted
yotetrapper
Original Author
14 years ago
I have some of these planted this year.

Aunt Ruby's German green
Mortgage Lifter
Brandywine
Kellogs Breakfast
Hillbilly Potato Leaf
Pineapple

I have a bunch more, too, but they havent been listed yet. I tried to start black krim twice. The first time, none sprouted, the second time, the one that sprouted died in the house, for some reason.

Ok, what's your favorite for making paste?
sherruns
14 years ago
These are my choice for the best tasting ones from growing 33 varieties in Reno last year (65 plants total).
Cherokee Purple
Mortgage Lifter
Mr. Stripey
Caspian Pink
Black Prince
This year I'm growing all of them except for the Black Prince.
kottonbail
14 years ago
This is my top 5 favorites .I've grown 16 different varieties . These are the best performers .
1)The brandywine -Flavor and large size
2)The Cherokee purple -Flavor,large size and quanity
3)The park's whopper (hybrid) - flavor, large size and quality
4)The celebrity (hybrid)- flavor and quanity medium size
5)The mountain pride (hybrid) - Flavor and quanity medium size
Grown the following:Better boy,Big boy,early girl,super bush,husky red,lemon boy,park,s whopper,celebrity,cherokee purple,brandywine,mortgage lifter,arkansas traveler,bonnie orginal,mountain pride,rutgers ,beefmaster.
2010 will grow the following : pink Brandywine ,cherokee purple, Giant belgium, Delicious, Park's whopper.
helenh
14 years ago
Most of this thread was lost.
Granny Cantrell
Eva Purple Ball
Mortgage Lifter
Pale Perfect Purple not an heirloom but OP
sue_ct
14 years ago
I did eventually get tomatoes from all my plants last year, but can only list 3 due to my limited experience with heirlooms. I only planted hybrids, Brandywine, Mortgage Lifter and German Johnson in all my years of tomato gardening until last year because they were the only ones available as plants locally for YEARS. Probably still are, but now I mail order them. Here are my top picks:

1. Kellogs Breakfast (not sure if that's really an heirloom)
2. Brandywine
3. Cherokee Purple
louster
14 years ago
Brad's Black Heart
Opalka
Indian Stripe
KBX
Andrew Rahart's Jumbo Red
Don't know why I don't see this one on more people's favorites lists. I have grown it the last several years, and I am always blown away by the taste.
foose4string
14 years ago
Hybrids are far more reliable, disease resistant,vigorous, and productive from my experience. Here are a few heirlooms that do fairly well for me...

Brandywine
Mortgage Lifter
Cherokee Purple

Top 5 favorite heirlooms?

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dstucki85

greenmulberry

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Top 5 favorite heirlooms?

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